Source: The Sangai Express / Singliangmang Guite
Lamka, July 02 2009:
At a time when heaps of rural funds had nothing much to flaunt worth it, a non-profit organization, Rural Aid Service (RAS) has made an attempt to shoulder its own share in the mammoth task of elevating and empowering the rural poor, disadvantaged and the oppressed communities in its own capacity.
Founded in 1995, RAS has tried to humbly contribute to the socially and economically vulnerable groups, and better analyse their socio-economic, health and decision making through indigenous social actions and as per their own aspiration.
It has acted as an agent of solving problems while facilitating the rural masses in sensitizing their issues, though in a very limited capacity.
A couple of funding agencies have ensured a smooth sail for the many initiatives RAS has initiated in more than eleven villages in Churachandpur.
Some of their initiatives in the past one year include construction of water reservoirs and intake facilities, community ringwell, school buildings, inter-village roads, various land development programme, skill upgradation trainings and promotion of SHGs, VDCs.
Last week, the organization has handed over a community ring well at Misao Lhahvom, a village recently battered by unknown sickness.
It had also introduced a high yield crop to five farmers in the village as a trial besides granting them subsidies for farming and introduction of SHGs among the women folk.
Besides, their partner agencies RNBA-EED and Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust had also ensured that it introduce micro-finance facilities for micro-enterprises.
RAS initiative to help the rural poor has made many differences in its projected villages.
Presently 64 percent of RAS intervention villages are Kuki villages.